June 24, 2026 Washington, DC — A statement from Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit and mission-driven providers of aging services, on the passage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act:

“The U.S. is facing a profound and growing housing crisis, with too few affordable homes available to meet the needs of Americans across the income spectrum. For millions of older adults, particularly those with low and moderate incomes, affordable, accessible housing is increasingly out of reach. We welcome the passage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act as a constructive step toward addressing longstanding barriers in our housing system. By modernizing key federal housing programs and streamlining requirements that have slowed development and preservation efforts, this legislation moves policy in the right direction.

We are encouraged that the final bill reflects a balanced approach to improving affordable housing, community investment, disaster recovery, housing preservation, and much more. We also appreciate that the bill is not expected to create unintended challenges for the broader senior housing sector. In particular, the exemption from institutional investor restrictions for 55+ communities and the removal of the proposed divestment requirement help ensure stability across senior living settings. We expect that accompanying report language will clarify that these provisions apply broadly across the continuum of senior housing, including existing communities and those financed through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.

The bill’s focus on improving and strengthening existing programs, along with efforts to reduce regulatory barriers, represents meaningful progress toward a more responsive and effective affordable housing framework. At the same time, the need for affordable housing that serves older adults at all income levels remains urgent. Building on this legislation, policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels must continue working to expand housing supply and ensure that middle-income households and those with the lowest incomes alike can access affordable, accessible homes.

We urgently call on President Trump to reverse course on cancelling his signing of this legislation into law. Nothing,and certainly not an unrelated debate, should stand in the way of making momentous and bipartisan progress on housing in America.

We look forward to continuing to work with policymakers to advance solutions that ensure every older adult has access to affordable housing.”